Towards Policy Relevant Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital Values: Rainforest Non-Timber Products

@article{citeulike:2308333, abstract = {Logbook and survey data relating to the extraction of non-timber forest products in the Singharaja Forest has been used to calculate total non-timber forest product (NTFP) value flows, and the estimation of the production and labour supply functions of resource users. The results indicate that the forest yields significant benefits, however the value of these NTFPs is insufficient on its own to economically and politically justify the conservation of rainforest biodiversity. Other land uses involving forest clearance seem to generate higher financial returns. However there are external costs such as soil erosion, sedimentation, and habitat loss associated with alternative uses such as tea plantations. It can also be argued that the conservation strategy encourages other beneficial impacts such as the effect that NTFP harvesting income has on overall income distribution in local communities. Overall, forest biodiversity conservation will have to be justified by a full total economic value (use and non-use values) appraisal, together with other scientific and ethical reasoning, and cannot be promoted solely on the basis of non-timber extraction value, as some commentators have in the past claimed.}, author = {Batagoda, B. M. S. and Turner, K. and Tinch, R. and Brown, K. }, citeulike-article-id = {2308333}, keywords = {ecosystem\_services}, posted-at = {2008-01-30 19:52:06}, priority = {2}, title = {Towards Policy Relevant Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital Values: Rainforest Non-Timber Products}, url = {http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/pub/wp/gec/gec\_2000\_06.htm} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2308333 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2308333 TI - Towards Policy Relevant Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital Values: Rainforest Non-Timber Products N2 - Logbook and survey data relating to the extraction of non-timber forest products in the Singharaja Forest has been used to calculate total non-timber forest product (NTFP) value flows, and the estimation of the production and labour supply functions of resource users. The results indicate that the forest yields significant benefits, however the value of these NTFPs is insufficient on its own to economically and politically justify the conservation of rainforest biodiversity. Other land uses involving forest clearance seem to generate higher financial returns. However there are external costs such as soil erosion, sedimentation, and habitat loss associated with alternative uses such as tea plantations. It can also be argued that the conservation strategy encourages other beneficial impacts such as the effect that NTFP harvesting income has on overall income distribution in local communities. Overall, forest biodiversity conservation will have to be justified by a full total economic value (use and non-use values) appraisal, together with other scientific and ethical reasoning, and cannot be promoted solely on the basis of non-timber extraction value, as some commentators have in the past claimed. KW - ecosystem_services AU - Batagoda, BMS AU - Turner, K AU - Tinch, R AU - Brown, K UR - http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/pub/wp/gec/gec_2000_06.htm ER -